SMU fans send-off basketball team to NCAA tournament

SMU fans gathered on campus Wednesday to send-off the basketball team to the NCAA tournament.

The Mustangs hope to build on a great regular season with a deep run in March Madness. SMU is 30-4 and won both the regular season and conference tournament titles in the American.

After a nearly 20 year drought, this is SMU’s second NCAA tournament berth in three years. But the Mustangs are still seeking their first tournament win since 1988.

There was a nice turnout of fans midday to cheer the players on as they boarded busses for the ride to Tulsa. SMU is a No. 6 seed in the East Region and will play the winner of Wednesday night’s Providence-USC game.

If SMU wins its first game, a matchup against old Southwest Conference foe Baylor likely awaits in round two.

 “I think they’re so mature,” Jankovich said of his players. “I don’t worry about [calming them down]. These guys have been on a mission for a long time.”

More than a few experts are picking this SMU squad, which plays essentially a 6-man rotation, as a dark horse favorite to advance a couple of rounds into the tournament.

SMU plays the Providence-USC winner at approximately 2:10 CT Friday on TruTV.